Backstage Pass is a series of six episodes that tracks the evolution in the early 70’s of an era when production and staging exploded in the ‘rock and roll’ industry. Get your own Backstage Pass and go on the road to some of the biggest and most iconic ever musical events during that time. Hear how the industry grew from the Moody Blues touring with two small trucks in the UK carrying all their equipment accompanied by just a handful of ‘roadies’ to Abba, the Rolling Stones and many bands and artists having multiple articulated or semi trucks on the road. The growth was seismic - Abba’s fleet of trucks had ‘Abba bigger than Volvo’ emblazoned on the side - tours criss crossed continents, massive crews and endless road boxes and crates of gear and specialist equipment travelled by air as well as road and shows would take days to set up and take down. With your Backstage Pass you will hear from some of those that were there. Their stories, told with warmth, affection and humour will tell you how they made it happen...
episode 2: Episode 2: In the Beginning
Your Backstage Pass allows you to learn about how the worlds of theatre and television came together as live music audiences grew more demanding. Rock and roll shows grew in ambition and scale and burst out from functional civic halls and venues to take place in sporting arenas and stadia.
After riding an open topped bus with Paul McCartney, who opens up about the breakup of the Beatles, you will hear from those that set up ESP Lighting, the London company and about the early days when the visionary Chipmonck – the eponymous voice of the Woodstock Festival - came from the States to work with the Rolling Stones as their lighting designer and needed UK based crew and equipment to get their European tour on the road in the early seventies. From this the company blossomed and its stable of clients read like a check list of rock and roll royalty each hoping to catch the musical press headlines by being bigger, better and more visually exciting than other bands or artistes going on the road with those in the company ‘making it up and they went along because no one had ever done it before.’
Part of Pantheon Podcasts